Food & Wine Festival Starts Today at Downtown Disney

Since Disney has effectively put the kibosh on this year's and any foreseeable year's California Food and Wine Festival usually held at their California Adventure Park, the Patina Group of restaurants have decided to take up the mantle.

Catal, Tortilla Jo's and Naples, its three properties at Downtown Disney, will host a week-long food and wine fest of its own starting tonight, with a kick-off party featuring complimentary hors d'oeuvres at the Uva Bar from 7-10 p.m. Throughout the week, there will be free cooking classes, $10 wine and tequila tastings, culminating in a $40-$50 wine/tequila dinner Thursday and Friday.

Edwin Goei was born on the island of Java, grew up in La Habra, studied in Irvine, and eats everywhere. Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, he went by the alias "elmomonster" on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.